ESPN: UFC Holds MSG For November Date

Looking for a sign the Ultimate Fighting Championship thinks professional mixed-martial arts will soon be legalized in New York? The sport’s major promoter has placed a hold on a November date at Madison Square Garden.

UFC President Dana White told ESPN that the company is hoping to host a 20th anniversary event at the Manhattan arena in November. But it would need the state Legislature to act before then; pro mixed-martial arts events were banned in 1997 in New York.

“I’m just very optimistic,” White told ESPN. “It’s ridiculous it hasn’t been done yet. I’m so confident I’m picking a date. We’ve been working for years with Madison Square Garden, they’re a huge supporter and want us to do the first ever MMA event there.”

UFC officials, however, have expressed confidence in years past but haven’t been successful in lifting the ban. The state Senate passed a bill that would allow the state Athletic Commission to regulate the sport, but it never came to the floor for a vote in the Assembly.